- 0132m at 10.4g/t gold; peak assay 51.4g/t.
- 02First hole in 16-hole Lincoln underground program.
- 03Drilling targets resource upgrades to support mine planning and PFS.
Haranga Resources (ASX: HAR) has intersected 32 metres at 10.4 grams per tonne gold in the first hole of its second-phase underground drilling at the Lincoln gold project in California.
The intersection—which began at 143m downhole—included 13 individual assays exceeding 10g/t gold, with a peak one-metre sample returning 51.4g/t.
The result points to potential continuity between previously modelled narrower mineralised zones in the southern Lincoln resource, although the 32m intercept is an uphole length and its true width remains undetermined.
The 16-hole program is concentrating on the southern Lincoln deposit and a relatively under-drilled area between the Lincoln and Comet mineralised zones.
More than half of the planned 1,500m has been completed, with drilling scheduled to finish in early November as Haranga works to increase confidence in the existing gold resource.
Resource Confidence a Priority
Lincoln has a mineral resource estimate of 2.46 million tonnes at 5.1g/t gold for 402,000 ounces, with 77% of its contained gold classified as Inferred.
Haranga wants to convert part of that Inferred inventory to the higher-confidence Indicated category to support mine planning and a preliminary feasibility study (PFS) that could underpin future Ore Reserves.
The latest intersection begins within two separately modelled lode shapes and may connect them, although further drilling and geological interpretation are required before any change to the resource model.
“Our priority with this program is to improve resource confidence needed for mine planning and potential Ore Reserve estimation as part of a planned PFS,” managing director Patrick Mutz said.
“This drilling program is an important prerequisite to the technical work which we continue to advance while also working to finalise our broader re-development strategy for Lincoln.”
Underground Access Restored
Drilling resumed from the XC11 underground level after dewatering of the Stringbean Alley decline and restoration of services made the area accessible again.
That work began in September 2025 and finished in September this year, allowing drilling from XC11 to commence on 17 September.
The team is completing the final scheduled hole at that level before moving back towards XC10 and XC9, where shorter fan holes will investigate gaps between the Lincoln and Comet zones.
No underground drilling has previously been completed from XC10, leaving a comparatively limited information base for that section of the geological model.
The company is combining this new drilling with earlier technical work in a PFS rather than progressing a separate scoping study, seeking to shorten the overall assessment process.
Additional Targets
A separate assessment is examining whether the South Spring Hill Exploration Target can be converted into an Inferred mineral resource without further drilling, with an outcome expected late in the fourth quarter.
That conceptual target ranges from 1.16Mt to 1.64Mt at 5.4g/t to 5.8g/t gold for between 202,000 and 308,000 ounces, using a 2g/t cut-off grade.
Insufficient exploration has been completed to establish a mineral resource at South Spring Hill and there is no certainty that the proposed conversion will succeed.
Historical drill core and sample material have been submitted for laboratory analysis, while Haranga is examining possible additional exploration targets at Old Lincoln, Wildman-Mahoney, and Keystone Deeps.
Together, the resource-upgrade drilling and possible exploration extensions form part of a redevelopment strategy aimed at supporting feasibility work and assessing project financing opportunities.
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